Finding Eden
by your-assbutt-is-of-import
Summary: The fifth archangel finds herself caught between her loyalty as friend and passions as a being. When she's betrayed, she is reincarnated as a baby orphan with no memories of her former life - until she comes home to find her adoptive parents brutally murdered by a supernatural creature.
1. The Beginning

Finding Eden

CHAPTER NUMBER: 1

WARNINGS/AUTHORS NOTES: There is a slight implication of incest, so please do not continue reading if this content bothers or triggers you! This is my first time writing a fanfic, so I hope you all enjoy! Chapter one is pretty mild and slow, but things will start getting intense and exciting around chapter two. The setting is kind of all over the place, but it mostly focuses on season five with a dash of season eight (the bunker is in there. Sorry for the inconsistency). Let me know what you all think!

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. People already know that, though. They know that God created the universe and life and all the awesome stuff that makes Earth so unique and beautiful. They know all of his creations to Earth, on Earth, and of the Earth. But they don't know what he did in Heaven. Or, maybe they think they do, but they're probably wrong. Anyway, God created Heaven. A place for his army of Angels to keep watch over the Earth. For a while, they did. But that's jumping ahead.

Of his angel army, God had his favorites, and his most powerful and trusted angels - also known as the archangels. Unbeknownst to many, there were five archangels, not four. The fifth and youngest, God's most cherished and favorite angel, was a female archangel known as Eden. Sound familiar? Well, it should. She was noble and fair. A merciful angel, but also a fierce and courageous warrior.

Although she was unflinchingly loyal, she had questions. She was curious. She would think about orders she was given before completing them. Because of this, she tried her best to overcome her flaws and be obedient. But above all, she was strong. She was respected by all of God's angels, and He loved her best. Often she would have fun with Gabriel, pranking others and each other, goofing off and having a nice time. On occasion, she could get Raphael to laugh. She was second in command to Michael of Heaven's army, preparing new warriors for future battles and conflicts. More than anything else, Lucifer was her favorite. The two archangels were inseparable; they were the best of friends.

Except, that's what Eden believed. She loved Lucifer as a cherished friend - a most beloved companion. But Lucifer loved her in a different way. He loved her as a mate. Eden didn't know this, but their oldest brother, Michael, did. And he didn't approve.

* * *

Michael walked through the doors hastily, seeing his brother sitting sideways on a throne, something in his hands.

"Lucifer," Michael called out. Lucifer looked up at his older brother, approaching him swiftly.

"Uh-oh, looks like someone's in trouble," Lucifer teased.

"We need to talk."

"Oh my," Lucifer put a hand to his mouth in false shock, teasing his brother. "Please tell me you're not breaking up with me!" Michael frowned at his younger sibling.

"You must abandon your feelings for Eden."

Lucifer's expression went from mockery to genuine shock, then quickly to sternness.

"I don't know what you're talking about, brother." Lucifer went back to his red leaf.

"I'm not joking with you, Lucifer. She is our sister. You cannot see her that way."

Lucifer looked up, annoyed with how the conversation was going.

"I suppose you're going to do the same then?" Lucifer inquired, trying to provoke his older sibling. Michael's face went from stern, to shocked, and back to stern in less than a second.

"My feelings for Eden do not extend beyond that of respect for her combat skills; she is a valuable warrior and a highly regarded commander."

Lucifer scoffed. "Okay, Mikey, whatever you say. But do me a favor," Lucifer flicked the tiny flecks of leaf in the the air. "Say that again like you didn't repeat it to yourself over a hundred times."  
Michael glared down at his younger brother. "Lucifer, she is our sister."

"Don't say that like it actually means something."

"The problem is it _does_ mean something."

"Yeah, it means that we're the same species created by the same father."

"No," Michael paused. "Well, yes, but also no. Yes because you're right, but no because you're also wrong."

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "How does anyone misunderstand anything you say? Brother, you speak with such clarity, I can't believe there are people who don't know what you mean," Lucifer sarcastically retorted.

Michael groaned. "It means that you can't love her that way. And not just you. It's the same for Raphael, Gabriel, and me as well."

"So?"

Michael dragged his hand through his golden brown hair. "So, you cannot be paired with a sibling. It's wrong."

Lucifer hopped up from his chair to face his brother. "Okay, yes, sibling on sibling relationships are pretty not good." Now it was Michael's turn to roll his eyes. "But we're not direct siblings. You know dear old Dad made her separate from us. She has no real siblings; she was created on her own to be different from us."

"She is still an archangel, and that makes her closer to us in ties than any other angel."

"Yes, but you, me, Gabe, and Ralph are brothers - _direct_ siblings. Pops made us together. It's the same with the other angels; they were made together in groups. But Eden was made alone, so she's not literally our sister. We're just the same species, like the tigers on Earth."

"Brother," Michael drew a hand to his forehead in frustration. "That doesn't allow you to pursue her as a love interest. Admire her from afar if you want, but you can't be with her."

"You know, Michael," Lucifer sat back down in his chair and took a sudden interest in his fingernails. "You can do what best fits you, and I'll go do what pleases me. It'll be great for everybody."

"Lucifer!" Michael let out a frustrated growl. Just then Eden burst into the corridor with a young angel.

"Oh!" Eden was pleasantly surprised to see Michael and Lucifer, until she noticed the frustrated expressions on their faces. "Uhh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you two," Eden took the young angel's arm to turn back around. Lucifer jumped out of his chair.

"Eden!" Lucifer called out. Eden looked back at Lucifer.

"Yeah?"

"Who's the newbie?"

"Oh," Eden brought the new angel up to Michael and Lucifer. "Let me introduce you guys. Mike, Luce, this is Castiel. I've been given instructions to train him personally. Cas, this is Michael and Lucifer. Michael is going to be your first in command, and Lucifer is…" Eden lost track of her words, unaware of how to introduce Lucifer. Lucifer stared at her in disbelief. Eden caught the expression of Lucifer's face and chuckled uncomfortably. An angry Lucifer was the last thing she wanted. "He's…Uhh… Well, he's superior to you."

"I'm also her best friend," Lucifer retorted. Castiel looked at the superior beings and smiled politely.

"It's nice to meet you both."

"Likewise. I look forward to training you," Michael said diplomatically. Eden sensed the tension between the two brothers and felt it best to leave the room before either had spooked the newbie.

"Alright Cas, let's go. Lots of stuff to do!" Eden quickly stated as she took Castiel by the arm leading him through the room. Almost immediately she turned around without breaking her step. "By the way, you can call him Cas for short. He's going to be my protege." She claimed excitedly before turning back around. Lucifer and Michael watched Eden's long, dark, brown hair sway from side to side as she walked away. Both archangels still had frustrated expressions on their faces, but now it was for a different reason; she only saw either of them in a platonic way.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since seeing Eden last, and Lucifer was growing impatient. _How long has it been since she introduced us to Castiel? Oh wait, his name is Cas._ He became slightly jealous. _He's not taking my place… Is he? Would Eden do that? Would she replace me?_

"She can do whatever she wants," Michael's voice startled Lucifer from his thoughts. "You're not bonded to her."

"Hey, Mikey, how about you not invade my personal privacy?" Lucifer snarked. "Or are you just annoyed that she's not with you either?"

Michael tensed up. "It's none of my business how she spends her time or who she spends it with. I trust her to spend as much time as necessary training new angels until she believes they're ready." Lucifer started clapping slowly.

"Wow, big brother. I'm impressed. You almost looked like you believe what you said."

Michael glared at Lucifer.

"Isn't two weeks a little dragged out for training just one newbie? Come on, you're the commander in chief here, doesn't it seem to be taking too long?"  
Michael let out a heavy exhale through his nostrils and turned to leave.

"Not unless they're doing it on purpose," Michael muttered to himself. Gabriel walked in just as Michael was about to walk out.

"Whoa - Hey Mike, Lucy. Oh wait, Lucifer why aren't you with Eden right now?" Gabriel asked.

"What do you mean? She's training that new guy, _ass_ -tiel or whatever his name is."

Gabriel chuckled.

"No, silly Lucy, his training finished the day it began. He's a natural. Pretty loyal too, hasn't left Eden's side, which I thought would bother her…" Lucifer's expression changed to jealousy. "…but she seems to like him a lot. From what I hear and see, they've really clicked. They've been pretty much inseparable." That last sentence was enough to get Lucifer out of his seat and make his way to Gabriel.

"And where are they right now, Gabby?" Lucifer said in a forced playful tone.  
Gabriel was enjoying this too much.

"They're in Eden's garden," he said joyfully.

Lucifer started to make his way there. "Lucifer," Michael called out. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Haven't decided yet."

Michael followed Lucifer out of the room Gabriel stayed behind in. He sat in Lucifer's chair enjoying the mischief he had just created.


	2. Who Do You Choose?

"Father is planning to make a new species," Eden told Cas as they walked around her garden. "I don't know the details, but I think they're going to be called 'human'. Don't take my word for it though," Eden looked over at Cas taking in the beauty of the garden they resided in. It was a breathtaking place, a true heaven on earth. The two angels wandered around.

"Are there more places like this?" The younger angel asked.

"There are beautiful places on this world, but I don't know if there are other gardens like this one." Castiel looked at Eden.

"You favor this place."

Eden blushed. "Well, yes, I guess I do. To me, it's the most beautiful of Father's creations. I cherish it sincerely."

"Is that why the other angels call it your garden?"

Eden laughed. "That was a nickname for this place. Lucifer came up with it because I always want to spend my free time here," Eden smiled. "Whenever I come to the earth, this is the place my heart brings me to the most."

"Do you not feel the same towards the other monuments?"

"Oh no, that's not it at all! I love everything on this earth. God's perfect creation. Everything is beautiful. I guess I just…" Eden trailed off. "...I'm just drawn here for some reason. So Lucifer teases me about it, and I guess the name stuck."

Cas looked down at the grass they were sitting in. He plucked a single green blade and twisted it in his fingers. "I understand how you feel." Eden looked at Cas, a smile playing on her lips.

"This place has that effect. Doesn't it just draw you into its beau-"

"I wasn't talking about the garden," Castiel quickly interrupted, eyes still locked onto the blade of grass in his hands.

"...oh," Eden started. "...then what-"

"I was talking about you," Castiel stated, looking up shyly at the beautiful archangel next to him. Her innocence practically radiating off her.

Eden blushed furiously for a moment, then began to laugh. "Cas, that's not something you should joke about. Lots of angels could mistake you for being serious."

"I am being serious." the tone of his voice caught her off guard. She looked at him almost dumbfoundedly. "I know that you are the perfect soldier, and leader, and angel. But there is something more. Something about you that draws me to you. I feel… connected to you - as if we have a bond."

Eden looked straight into his deep-blue eyes. It looked like they were hand crafted by God himself to fit the beauty of an ocean into those wide spheres.

"Oh, snore." the two angels looked over to see Lucifer leaning against a tree, arms crossed in front of his chest. His expression was a mixture of amusement and bitterness. "You know buddy, she could smite you with a finger if she wanted to," he walked closer to the two angels sitting too close to each other for his comfort.

"How long have you been standing there?" Eden asked.

"I got here just in time to see newbie confess his undying love for you."

"I wasn't confessing my undying love for Eden," Cas declared.

Lucifer smirked. "I thought you were supposed to be smart?" Cas looked back at the older archangel, confused by his remarks.

"Lucifer, you don't have to be so-"

"So what, Eden?" he snarled.

"So _rude!"_ Eden countered, the same amount of aggression in her voice. "We're just having a nice conversation, you don't need to bring whatever this is into it."

"Should I wait for you to come to me, then? Could I get an estimate for when you'd be free next because I haven't SEEN YOU IN TWO WEEKS!" Lucifer bellowed, his anger flaring uncontrollably. Eden stood up quickly and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Luci…" Eden started softly. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel like I abandoned you," she cupped his cheek, her eyes locking into the ferocity in his. She then took him into a hug, holding him tightly. "I would never leave you behind. You're my best friend; I love you."

Lucifer held Eden tightly, his anger now melted into want. He felt her body pressed up against his, longing for further skinship.

"This is a touching scene." The two archangels were startled out of their embrace by the familiar voice. Castiel stood up to acknowledge Michael's presence. "You know, Eden," Michael slowly walked around his two younger siblings in a circle, eyes not leaving the ground beneath him. "I find it interesting how you react so calmly to Lucifer's anger, but react so harshly to my calm manner," Michael stopped walking and looked at Eden. "You choose him over me? Is that it?"

"No, Michael, that's not-"

"Because I thought you said that your priority would always be to serve Heaven. That you didn't reciprocate or feel the same way I do about anyone. But I guess you meant anyone minus Lucifer."

"No, I was being truthful!"

"Quit whining, Mikey. Jealousy doesn't suit you."

"Lucifer stop!"

"Having no mouth would better suit you, brother," Michael countered. "You always did have a silver tongue. How did you coax her into loving _you_?"

"This is just a misunderstanding-"

"I didn't have to _coax_ her. I'm just a better choice than you are."

"Lucifer, _stop_ , you're making it worse!"

"Is that so?" Michael snarled, reaching for his angel blade.

"Michael, stop, no this isn't like that!"

"Are you going to fight me, brother?" Lucifer laughed. "It won't change anything. I'll still be her favorite."

Michael lunged at Lucifer before being hit and pinned to the ground.

"STOP THIS. BOTH OF YOU!" Eden shouted at the two archangels, holding Michael beneath her. She looked down at her brother. "Michael, I wasn't confessing my love to him. I only love him as a brother and friend - the same love I feel for you. I haven't lied to you," Eden said, pulling herself off the archangel. She turned to her other brother, glaring at him. "And you! You don't know when to stop! Why do you keep trying to start things? Lucifer, I don't love you as a mate; I never have. I thought you knew that," she bluntly stated. Eden then turned her gaze onto the younger angel, staring in disbelief at what had just transpired. "Castiel, I am so sorry you had to witness this. Please forgive me and my brothers for this humiliating act."

"No." Eden spun around, seeing Lucifer staring at her. "this isn't good enough for me. You have to make a choice."

"Luce…"

"He's right, Eden," Michael joined in, picking himself up from the ground. "It's me, or him." The archangel looked at her two brothers dumbfoundedly.

"Well? Who's it going to be?" Lucifer pushed.

"I…" Eden was suddenly interrupted by a message. The four angels looked up towards Heaven, listening to the broadcast.

Michael looked at the angels in front of him. "We'll continue this after our meeting," and with that, he soared off. Lucifer looked at Eden before following after his brother. The archangel stood there, unable to comprehend all that had just happened.

"Eden…"

The archangel turned around to look at Castiel, but found herself unable to meet his eyes out of embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Cas. Please forgive me." The younger angel came closer to his superior, lifting her face with his finger to look up at him.

"There's nothing to forgive. You must know this isn't, in any way, your fault," he said softly. "And it doesn't change the way I feel about you."

Eden looked into Cas's deep blue eyes. He leaned in, closing the space between their faces. His lips touched hers lightly in a chaste kiss. She felt his warm, soft lips against her own, his hand gently caressing her cheek. Eden's head slowly spun as she felt her stomach flutter, her heart beat slightly elevated. For a long moment they held that position, before another announcement interrupted them. The angels looked at each other.

"We better go before the meeting ends."

"Agreed," said Castiel before flying back to Heaven. When the two got there, the congregation had already dispersed. Before leaving, Eden caught Gabriel on his way out of the throne room.

"Gabriel!" Eden called out, catching her elder brother's attention.

"Oh hey, Eden. Cas," he regarded. "Where have you two been? You missed the meeting."

"Yeah, about that… Could you fill us in on what it was about?"

"It was just stuff about the new creation-"

"You mean the human?" Eden asked excitedly. Gabriel chuckled.

"Well, sis, it's more like _humans_ , plural. There's two of them, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. Apparently they're supposed to be a 'free-thinking' species. I hear they're going to be in your play area, and Gadreel was given the 'honor' of playing babysitter."

Eden raised her eyebrows. "You mean the garden?"

"Yep, that's the one. I think they're there right now. And get this - Dad wants us to love them more Him. Yeah, I know, the crazy things Dad says, right? He had everyone bow to - oh," Gabriel's expression changed. "Be careful of Lucifer," Gabriel warned. "He's far from happy about this. Like, the angriest I've ever seen him."

"What? Why would he be mad?"

"I just know that he's pissed at Dad. Do me a favor, Eden. Don't try to talk to him about it," Gabriel stated sincerely before disappearing. Cas put a hand on Eden.

"Are you alright?"

Eden looked back at the concerned angel. "I'm worried for Luce… I'm going to check on him."

"I don't think that's a good idea. You heard what Gabriel said."

"I know what Gabriel said… I just… I need to see him."

"Eden, I don't-" the archangel vanished before Cas could finish his sentence.

Eden arrived to the garden, worried about her friend. She frantically searched about before finding Gadreel, slumped over by the side of a tree unconscious. She ran to her brother, trying to wake him. "Gadreel? Brother, you must wake up. Answer me!" The silence left Eden more panicked than before. "I'm sorry to leave you Gadreel; I have to find Lucifer. I think he's about to do something terrible. I'm so sorry," she offered apologetically, rushing to find her brother. She got up to continue her search when she saw her father's newest creations for the first time. _Adam?_ She slowly stepped forward to get a better look before seeing her brother standing by the other human, Eve, who was taking a bite of fruit from the forbidden tree. Lucifer was smiling to himself fiendishly.

"What have you done?"

The archangel looked up, startled from his accomplishment. "Eden," he smiled. "I'm glad you're here to see this."

"What have you done?" She repeated.

Lucifer frowned. "Don't be upset, sister. This is what we need to show Father that these _miscreants_ are-"

" _His children, too,_ " she interrupted. "Lucifer, this is _wrong._ Father wants us to-"

"To love these abominations more than Him? How does that seem right to you?" Lucifer walked towards his love, confused at the anger forming inside her. "They are _weak,_ Eden. They. Are. _Flawed._ Look at them. It only takes a suggestion for them to damn themselves. Do you see how she's enjoying that forbidden fruit? Can you imagine how angry Dad must be right now?" Lucifer laughed wickedly. "His beloved creation, a total flop. Fragile, corruptible, small, insignificant little _pests_."

"You can't talk about them that way! Father knows best-"

"So you're going to play the perfect daughter now? No questions, just a cookie-cutter soldier?"

"You should know better than to disobey, Lucifer," Michael stated after abruptly arriving. "You're going against the word of _God-"_

"Are we supposed to blindly follow him?"

"We're supposed to be good children and listen to what he says. His word is absolute, his creations are absolute-"

"You're calling these pathetic excuses for life absolute? They're not on this Earth more than a few hours and already they've committed a crime against Heaven. Eden, you can't possibly accept this - He put them in your garden. You love this garden, and these obstructions of creation shouldn't be placed in a world so beautiful and perfect. Eden, c'mon. Tell me you don't buy this crap. You have to have your own questions. You question everything!"

"Not this. I don't question this. I trust him. I have faith-

"And I had faith too! Before he replaced all of us and _you_ with these miscreants as his new favorites."

"Then he must have a good reason-"

"It's too late, Eden. He's done the damage. There's no turning back for him now. Grab Gadreel, we're going to the High Council."

"Michael…" Eden stared at her brother. "Gadreel didn't-"

"He didn't do as he was commanded to. He's failed Heaven. As has Lucifer."

"You're not serious, are you Michael? Your own brother?"

"You're not right, Lucifer. You need to be punished. This is the greatest sin that has ever been committed. And you will pay for it in front of Father and the High Council."

Lucifer's eyes glowed with fire, anger inside him brewing. "You would betray me, brother? _ME?"_

"You didn't leave me with a choice."

"Michael…" Eden began, losing her thoughts at the chaos surrounding her.

"And you. _You,_ " Lucifer started raising his voice. "You choose Michael over me? Maybe I can see him betray me - Michael was always the righteous one. Dad's blind follower. But _you?_ You betray me too?"

"No, that's…"

"Stand with me. Both of you. We can show father…"

The angels turned their attention to the sky, dark clouds forming ominously overhead.

"The angels. They're calling for Lucifer's exile." The three archangels turned to face Castiel, who stood there looking back at them. "They've been given the orders."

"He knows…" Lucifer trailed off. For a moment he stood there blankly staring off into the distance, the realization slowly coming to him. "Someone told him," he looked down at the ground, torn between the emotions churning inside him. He looked up to face the two archangels before him. "Who did it? Which one of you betrayed me?"

"Brother, you need to face the consequences of your actions," Michael stated. Eden shared a quick look with Castiel, whose eyes were full of concern. In that moment, she knew what happened.

"So you go tell DADDY? Do you know what he's going to do to me?" Lucifer started to unhinge, the betrayal of his sibling too great for him to fathom. "To your own brother, this is how you show your love?"

"Luc-"

"It was me," Eden quickly said. Both pairs of eyes turned to look at her, and she could feel the third pair staring at the back of her head. "Lucifer I… I was the one who told the others."

He looked back at her, expecting some sort of explanation to be written on her face. But he didn't see one. Lucifer staggered backwards, the words throwing him off balance. "Eden?" His voice cracked as his throat grew thick. "You…"

Her eyes watered as she witnessed the unraveling of her brother, her best friend. The hurt in his eyes from her betrayal. She watched as Lucifer's heart shattered into pieces right in front of her, all because of what she said. "I had to… Luce…"

"You betrayed me…" His voice shook as he breathed the words in an exhale, the tears falling freely from his face.

"Eden… When did you…" Michael was almost as startled as Lucifer was.

The storm clouds grew thicker and larger, more threatening with the deep rumbles of thunder rolling closer to the angels. The approaching storm served as a manifest of God's wrath. His angels were coming.

"How could you do this to me?" Lucifer's pain began turning into rage. "I trusted you - I _loved_ you. And this is how you treat me?" A thunderclap shook the ground they stood on. "Do you know what he'll do to me? Do you know _what you've done?!_ " Lucifer bellowed. He took a step towards Eden. "You were _my_ best friend! I was supposed to be _your_ favorite! And you choose _Michael_ …!" The thunder drowned out the sound of his fury as he came closer to her. Both Castiel and Michael tensed as they saw their brother approach her, red in the face from screaming his anger at her. Castiel inched closer, suspicious of the proximity between the two archangels. Michael reached for his archangel blade, uncertain of what to expect. As they came closer, they saw Lucifer reaching for something, not breaking eye contact with Eden, who was saying something they couldn't hear. Light caught something in Lucifer's hand, sending a reflection into Michael and Cas' faces. Their eyes widened in realization. They flew to Eden's side to throw Lucifer down, but not before they saw him plunge his archangel blade into her chest. In that moment, everything went silent. Michael looked in horror at what his brother had done. Lucifer, in angry tears, kept his hand tight on the handle of the blade. Cas looked at Eden in alarm, a single tear rolling slowly down her cheek, still locked in eye contact with Lucifer. The storm clouds stopped their loud rumbling; the wrath of God had stopped.

Eden's eyes and mouth opened wide, feeling herself combust before she saw the white light of her grace flash. Her body dropped to the ground, the shadow of her former winds tattooed to the earth. Castiel dropped to his knees, his hands shaking as he reached out for her corpse. Lucifer stood with silent tears streaming down his face. He looked over her body, her blood still dripping from his blade in hand. Michael pounced on him, tackling him down to the ground, pulling his own blade on him against his throat.

"What have you done…" Michael almost whispered, his own face riddled with pain. Lucifer looked at his brother with his bloodshot eyes.

"She betrayed me, brother," Lucifer choked out.

"No, she didn't," Castiel stood up. He turned to look down at the two archangels. "I was the one who told Heaven about your crime," he looked back at Eden's body. "And she told you that she had done so, in order to spare me from your wrath."

Michael and Lucifer both looked at Cas with wide eyes. The elder archangel looked back down at his younger brother. "You killed her for nothing," he breathed. He took the blade off Lucifer's neck, standing up from the ground.

"I didn't know," Lucifer murmured, more to Eden's now lifeless body than anything else. His eyes moved to Castiel's, another fire threatening to brew inside him, but he didn't have the time to get angry. Michael took his arm in one swift movement, and flew back to Heaven. Castiel stayed in the Garden with Eden for a few moments longer.

"I'm… so sorry, Eden," Cas sobbed. He knelt beside her and left a soft kiss on her forehead before flying off to Heaven.

"The High Council sees you guilty, Lucifer Morningstar. Your actions, worthy of exile, shall executed with -" Michael's sentencing was interrupted by a lesser angel delivering a message. Michael's eyes widened. He looked at the younger angel. "He did?" The nameless angel nodded. Michael turned his gaze back over to Lucifer as the intern scurried away. "There has been a declaration," the statement spread murmurs through the crowed of angels. "God has decreed that upon your crimes, you shall be damned to Hell for all eternity, in the fiery depths of the pit itself, locked inside a cage where your-"

"Michael, you can't-"

"Actions shall meet their consequences-"

"Brother, please!"

"And every sentient being from now until the end of time shall know-"

" _Michael_ -"

"Your crimes and their ramifications," Michael stood up from his throne and bent down to ancient box the intern angel was holding. He reached inside and pulled out an old, biblical artifact. "Before we proceed," Michael took the artifact in his hand and stood up straight, overlooking the congress of angels. "We must extinguish the memory of our fallen sister-"

"NO, YOU CAN'T!" Lucifer roared, thrashing against the chains that bound him. Castiel, panic stricken, looked at Michael in disbelief.

"She was a valiant leader, warrior, and friend-"

"THROW ME INTO THE CAGE, BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE HER FROM ME!"

"We honor her virtue and courage-"

" _I deserve the punishments you're serving me_ , but NOT THIS, BROTHER!"

"By commemorating God's garden to her. It shall henceforth be named Garden of Eden."

"Garden of Eden," the angels all said at once.

"And it shall be the only place to ever bear memory of her."

"Michael, I can't forget her," Castiel started.

"Brother, don't do this!" Lucifer pleaded with Michael as he raised the artifact over his head, mumbling an incantation in Enochian under his breath. With a flash of green light, the artifact crumbled to dust, and the angels stood, hard faced and glaring at Lucifer.

"You'd do this to me, brother?" He asked Michael, as his older brother came down the steps of his throne towards him. "For those disgusting, _murderous_ abominations?" He pressed. "Stand with me brother; you don't have to listen to Him."

Michael squatted in front Lucifer to meet him at eye-level. "You're a _monster_ , Lucifer," he stated as he picked his younger sibling from the ground. He dragged him across the throne room and out into the corridor.

"You stand with those _miscreants?!_ You choose them over your own brother?!" Lucifer kicked and screamed at Michael all the way to the very edge of the pit. He looked into his brother's eyes with one last plea for mercy in his own.

"No," Michael leaned in, whispering his last words to his brother. "I choose Father over you, brother. I'm a _good_ son," he snarled before throwing his brother into the pit. Michael sealed the hole with a snap of his fingers, walking back towards his throne room. The angels stood by, silently watching their commander briskly head back to headquarters. Michael looked over at the crowd of angels, eyes meeting a young angel's blue ones. They were a deep blue, like the oceans. Michael broke his eye contact and kept walking to his destination. Castiel stood in the crowd, his eyes still following his superior in confusion.


	3. A New Start

Millenniums passed since the memory of Eden was lost. Adam and Eve bore children, the apes evolved, and soon there became a human race. The angels did their solemn duty, watching their Father's creations wander around the earth. Since Lucifer's banishment, the whole of Heaven had changed. Everything seemed colder and less familiar. Michael stepped down from training new angels, and instead resided in the High Council where he buried himself in sentencings. Raphael took control of Heaven's Army and gained responsibility of training new angels. The youngest archangel, Gabriel, had disappeared that night with no luck of being found. And finally, God himself seemed to become a recluse. What once had been warm with life was now filled with emptiness. Heaven operated like a machine: cold, autonomous, and on edge. The earth was to stay solely in control of the humans with no interference from the Hosts of Heaven, and it stayed this way for hundreds of decades. All of the angels were to stay in Heaven and fulfill their duties - all of the angels, save one.

After almost two thousand years of silence from Heaven, a celestial being decided to pay a visit to Earth - specifically, to a family residing in Lawrence, Kansas.

The front door sounded 3 times, disturbing the young newlywed couple from their nightly routine. The husband, Arthur, stirred from his short, post-supper nap. There was another knock, the same as before, but this time a bit more urgent.

"Arthur, could you get that for me?" Jane called out from the kitchen. Her husband yawned in his recliner before standing up and stretching.

"Anything for you, darling," he said with a smile. He walked towards the front door and opened it to see a short, squirrelly-looking man holding a small… what was it? A doll?

"Can I help you, mister?" he asked with slight confusion, just realizing the late hour.

"Arthur Dalton, right?"

"Do I know you?"

"Before tonight, not a chance. Well, you've probably heard of me, but let's not get into that just yet; we still have to introduce ourselves. By the way, whose idea was it to name you?"

"I-"

"Nevermind, can I come in?" the stranger asked, walking into the Dalton house. Arthur placed a firm hand on his intruder before yanking him quickly back to the threshold.

"Hey! I don't know who you are, but if you-" the short man snapped his fingers, preventing Arthur from speaking further.

"You may not know who I am, but I know who you are. And I know what you do," he said seriously, with a slight glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "Whether or not you believe what I'm going to tell you in the next 10 minutes is entirely in your own hands. But until then, keep quiet and let me explain what's about to happen - to both you and your wife," he looked down the hall in the direction of the kitchen. "That's right, Jane! You're included in this too!" He turned back to Arthur. "Now, why don't we get settled in your living room and have a chat?" He looked at Arthur, who stared back blankly at him. "Oh, that's right! Almost forgot," he snapped his fingers. "Kind of hard to talk when you're speechless, isn't it?" He smirked as he walked away towards the living room. Arthur followed him suspiciously.

"Now you can both throw holy water at me, pour salt down my throat, cut me with silver, et cetera, et cetera… But none of that is going to work. Mainly because, I'm not a monster," he looked up from the recliner at the couple standing before him. "I'm an angel."

Jane laughed. "An angel? I suppose this is what you angels do then, taking human form and knocking at stranger's doors at night?"

"And threatening them after taking their voices away?" Arthur chimed in.

The angel rolled his eyes. "man, you humans are lucky I'm nothing like my brothers. I'm an archangel - used to be, anyway," he looked at the blank and unconvinced expressions staring back at him. "My name is Gabriel, alright? And I already know you two are hunters. It's important that you take what I'm about to give to you."

The couple shifted in their spots, exchanging glances at each other, but never keeping an eye off of the stranger sitting in front of them.

"Why should we believe anything you say? For all we know, you could be trying to kill us," the wife asked.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already - look guys, I don't want to do this whole cliche scene of where it takes hours for me to convince you that I'm telling the truth," Gabriel looked down at the blanket he was holding carefully, and with his hand he unwrapped the top layer to reveal a small, squishy face.

The couple looked down at the baby he was holding, their confusion only growing greater. "Okay, you need to start explaining what's going on here or I'm going to start shooting," Jane remarked.

The archangel's eyes shot up at the woman standing before him. "You're going to take care of her."

"What?" The couple asked at the same time, shocked by this bizarre request.

"You're going to raise her like she's your own flesh and blood daughter. You can even change her name if you want," he pressed, looking back down at the baby. "She needs a home, and it's important that she stays with you."

Arthur laughed. "Okay, mister, I think it's time you left." Gabriel stood up, eyes locked with Arthur's. The lights began to flicker around them, wind picking up violently through the cracked windows. Jane reached for her pistol, readying herself to shoot. The clear night sky turned stormy with clouds quickly forming overhead. A flash of light revealed the shadow of Gabriel's wings cast against the wall, too big for their house. Jane's eyes widened in disbelief, her husband still uncertain.

"that's a nice magic trick you got there!" he shouted over the thunderous noise. Gabriel smirked at the challenge.

"you haven't even seen the beginning of it," he said, prepared to show off again.

"okay!" Jane cut in. "okay I believe you!" both men looked at her as the weather calmed around them. "I believe you," she repeated. "the archangel Gabriel."

Gabriel smiled, his mischievous eyes holding a glimmer of sadness behind them. "used to be, sweet cheeks," he corrected.

"Alright. So let's say we do believe you. Why are you handing us a baby, and why are we the ones that have to care for it?" asked Arthur.

"You're the only ones that can take care of her," he said nonchalantly as he focused on the fine details of the baby's face.

"So you want us to raise her to be a hunter?" questioned Jane. "what kind of life is that for a child?"

"A life that this child has to have. She needs a hunter family."

"There are other hunter families out there," Arthur joined in. "Jane and I don't even live that life anymore; we promised each other we'd quit hunting when we got married," Arthur explained. Jane nodded in agreement.

"We were both brought into it by our parents. If we ever had kids, we would never dream of raising them in that life too," Jane added.

"Then that's a promise you'll have to break," the angel said merrily. "you know the Winchesters?"

"How do you know who the Winchesters are?"

Gabriel smirked. "Uhh, hello? Celestial being here - I mean, come on. You're not still stuck on that, right?"

"If you're suggesting we raise that child how John chooses to drag those boys of his around-" Arthur began.

"Oh I'm not suggesting, pal. I'm telling you that that's the way it's gotta be."

"Those boys are miserable," Jane cut in. "Don't get me wrong, we love John. And when Mary died, we introduced him to hunting," she looked at her husband then back at the archangel. "We didn't think that he would force his kids into that kind of life."

"She's right," her husband joined. "He got sucked in. It totally consumed him. We haven't even spoken to him in years."

"We can't be responsible for another child getting thrown into that life," Jane concluded

"Jane," Arthur swiftly grasped his wife's wrist, forcing her to look at him. "That wasn't our fault."

"Alright-y," Gabriel interrupted. "Enough with this guilt babble"

"can't you explain what's going on a little better? Or at least offer us more info than just this crappy sales pitch?" Arthur snapped.

The angel stared back for a few seconds before responding, his reply short. "I can't."

"why not?" the husband demanded.

"I _can't,"_ he emphasized. "all I can tell you now is that you have to raise her as your own daughter, and as a hunter."

"we're not interested," the hunter said.

"This isn't your choice," the archangel started to raise his voice. "This was chosen for you. No one gets a say. No one ever gets a say when it comes to Dad's master plan-"

"Dad? You mean… _your_ dad? Like, _God_?" Jane interrupted.

"so you either take her," Gabriel continued, ignoring Jane's interruption. "and save the world, or you damn everyone and everything. But hey, your choice, right?"

The couple exchanged glances. Their questions only grew in number as none were being answered. Arthur looked down at the peacefully sleeping newborn and finally spoke. "is she human?"

Gabriel frowned. "as far as I can tell, she's an ape just like you."

Arthur and Jane looked at each other, silently going through their options. Gabriel sensed their hesitation and distrust."I can't tell you everything now, but the day will come when you realize who she really is," he offered .

"who is she supposed to be?"

Gabriel handed her over to Jane, who took her carefully, coddling her.

"your daughter," Gabriel stated. The young couple looked at the sleeping baby, their suspicious hearts melting away slowly with every soft inhale the infant made. Gabriel smiled slightly to himself at the change of mood. _You always did have that effect_ , he thought as he looked down at the newborn.

"she's beautiful," Jane said softly, a smile on her lips.

Arthur looked back up at the angel. "you said we could change her name, but you never told us what it was… what is she called?"

Gabriel looked at the baby now being held in Jane's arms, a mixture of pain and sadness written on his face.

"Her name was Eden."


	4. The Joys of Parenting

"I still don't know if we can trust the guy," Arthur held Eden in his arms as he spoke to his wife. "We can't even be sure if he is an angel. No one's ever seen one before,"

"What else would he be? You saw how powerful he was," Jane responded as she folded the laundry.

"That doesn't make him an angel," he said. Jane sighed, placing one of her husband's dress shirts on the ironing board.

"That doesn't mean he isn't one," she countered. Arthur placed a sleeping Eden in the newly made crib.

"Why are you so quick to believe that he's an angel? That angels even exist?" he asked.

Jane set down the iron on it's hilt and turned to her husband. "Arthur, what else would he be? In this world of monsters and evil, there has to be good. And angels are good," she turned back to ironing her husband's shirt. "And God knows we could use some good in this world," she said quietly.

Arthur sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, we already have the baby. And a crib. And a room for her to stay in, so I guess whether this Gabriel guy is an angel or not, there's really no turning back now," he kissed her cheek and turned away. "But that doesn't mean that I'm fond of the dude. He thinks my parents were giant camelot fans. The man calls me Pendragon for Christ's sake."

"But your mother did teach Arthurian mythology at Oxford-"

"That's not the point," he interjected quickly before walking over to Eden.

"I already tested her," Jane said without turning towards her husband.

"And?"

"And what do you think? She's human," she almost chuckled as she finished ironing the last of his dress shirts. He looked down at Eden sleeping in her crib.

"Did you ever think of a name for her?" Arthur halfheartedly asked. He heard her rustling for coat hangers in their closet.

"I thought of a few, but I wanted to run them by you first," she called out. He reached down and gently picked up Eden's tiny hand, stroking the back of it lightly as he watched her sleep.

"What were they?"

"Well," she began. "I thought maybe we could name her Sarah after your mother, but it didn't seem right to name a newborn after an… elderly woman."

"You mean a dead woman, right?" He glanced at his wife. "It's alright - I made my peace with it a long time ago," he turned back.

"I'm sorry-"

"Any other names?" he interrupted. Jane paused then cleared her throat.

"Yes," she continued. "Uhh, Elizabeth. Angela, Caelin... Emma, then Mia, Isabella, and Hannah

Arthur laughed. "You're worried about giving a baby an old woman's name, and you want to name her Isabella Dalton? Or Hannah Dalton?" he continued to laugh. His wife rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so we can strike those two out. What about the others though?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Can you repeat the other names?"

"Mia… Elizabeth… Caelin and Angela. Oh - and Emma."

"Mia Dalton…" Arthur tapped two fingers on his chin as he thought about the name.. "Nope, sounds like a name for my late great aunt," he concluded. "Caelin Dalton… now that just has a weird ring to it," he turned to his wife. "None of these names really fit her."

"You don't like any of them?" she pushed.

"I don't know… we could always just keep her name as Eden."

"What? No, Arthur, we're not doing that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's an odd name for a baby. Plus, that name is famous already. We don't want people asking too many questions about it," she reasoned. Her husband rolled his eyes and gave in.

"Okay, then what do you like?"

"Well… I was thinking… Angela," she smiled softly. "You know, because she's like our little angel."

He scoffed in response. "More like our forced-upon responsibility."

Jane crossed her arms. "Do you want to have another argument about this, or are you going to let me tell you my thoughts?"

Arthur threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, sorry. Continue."

She glared at her husband for another moment before speaking again. "I guess since Angela is out of the question, that leaves Elizabeth and Emma," she gazed over Eden.

"Emma."

Jane looked over at Arthur. "What?"

"I like Emma. I think it fits her."

Jane smiled. "I do too."

"Welcome to the family, Emma Dalton."

As Emma grew older, Gabriel visited the Dalton home less and less to keep his sister unaware of their ties. He often called Arthur to meet elsewhere outside the house to discuss his sister.

"We just celebrated her fourth birthday. It's a shame you couldn't come. She smashed her face in the cake we got her. She didn't even blow out the candles beforehand, just," Arthur made a clicking sound with his tongue as he pretended to slam his face into a pretend birthday cake. "Jane got pretty worked up. Something about the fire and her hair, but Emma was pleased with herself."

Gabriel perked. "You made up a birthday for her?"

"We kind of just went with the day you dropped her off at our house."

The angel raised an eyebrow, somewhat satisfied with the response. "Have you contacted the Winchesters at all?"

Arthur shook his head. "We barely kept in touch before you gave us a baby to take care of. John wasn't the same after Mary's death-"

"Yeah, I know the story," he interrupted.

"Well, then you know that he drags those kids of his all over the country hunting for monsters and whatever killed Mary-"

"A demon."

Arthur knitted his eyebrows. "A what? A demon? That's what killed Mary? How could you know that?"

"That's not important," Gabriel brushed the subject aside. "Keep the Winchesters out of her life until she can hunt on her own. We don't want those, old boys creeping around little Emma, right?"

"Somehow I don't think that will be a problem..." he pursed his lips. "So who is she allowed to have contact with?"

"You remember what I said about John's friend, Bobby?"

Arthur pressed his lips together. "Uhh…"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Try to pay attention, eh, cupcake? Bobby Singer. The one who lives in Sioux Falls."

"You mean the guy who owns the junkyard?"

The angel clapped his hands together. "That's the one!" he exclaimed.

"He's a friend of mine too. We've hunted together."

"Great! So there's no need for awkward introductions then. That's good,"

"Wait, how do you know Bobby?"

"Oh, I don't. Which is why the whole… introduction thing would have been awkward."

Arthur stared at Gabriel with a confused look on his face.

"Because he wouldn't know either of us," the angel clarified.

"Oh. Got it," the man nodded. "What do you need Bobby for?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Gabriel smiled. "He's going to be like, a cool uncle to Emma and help raise her."

"Raise her? Jane and I are already doing that," he said defensively.

"Yeah," the angel shrugged. " _But_ , you two will go on dangerous hunts. Out there," he waved his hands off into the distance. "In the real world. Places you can't take a newbie hunter to."

"So we just… what, drop her off at Bobby's and have her watch Looney Tunes all day?"

"You sure know how to imagine a kid's heaven," the angel smirked. "No, he's going to train her. Make her into a warrior-hunter. She'll be like Zelda."

"Like who?"

"Doesn't matter. But you got the point, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, take her to Bobby's on hunting trips so he can train her. You want us to take her there tomorrow or what?"

"No, not tomorrow. She just had a birthday, c'mon, _dad_ , you don't wanna ruin her life _too_ quickly."

"You're not really giving me a choice, Gabriel." Arthur said sternly.

"Alright," he backed down. "That's fair. But no, not tomorrow. You can wait a few years. Ease her into it."

"What's it to you, anyway? Who are you to her?" Arthur started getting heated.

"Whoa," Gabriel laughed. "Calm down there, bucko."

"No, I'm not going to calm down. Why do you care what the hell happens to her, aren't you throwing her away?"

Gabriel slammed his hands on the table. " _Don't_ even BEGIN to think that you know anything about what's going on," he hissed. "And don't you

say that I'm throwing Eden away. _Ever._ "

Arthur's jaw clenched. "Emma," he corrected.

"What?"

"Her name is Emma. And she's my daughter," he stood up to leave. "I'll see you in a few weeks, Gabriel."

Gabriel tucked his forehead underneath his interlaced fingers. "She's my sister, alright?" he caved.

Arthur turned around, startled.

"She's your what?"

"My sister. My little sister," he sighed, lifting his face until only his chin was resting on top of his knuckles. "She used to be an archangel."

Arthur's mouth parted in disbelief. "Emma? _My_ Emma - little, four-year-old Emma. The toddler who smashed her face into her own birthday cake - she's an archangel?"

"Used to be," Gabriel nodded slowly.

"But you guys are super powerful, right? Like, capable of immense… power?"

"She used to be in charge of Heaven's army."

"In char- what? Heaven's _army? Heaven's_ army," he whistled then chuckled. "Wow. Wait, she doesn't still-"

"No, she doesn't have her powers. She's human, and she has been since the day she was resurrected."

"Resurrec-" he shook his head. "You mean she died?"

The angel nodded. "A long time ago," he said quietly.

"How?" Arthur asked. "Who-"

Gabriel stood up quickly. "That's a story for another time."

"Wait, I need-"

"No," Gabriel said sternly then disappeared with a flap of wings.

Arthur stared where the archangel was standing just moments ago and scoffed, taking the remaining sip of his whiskey. "Friggin' angels," he scowled before walking out.


	5. Hiatus

Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted. The story has definitely not yet ended - we're not even close to the ending! I've been busy for the last couple of months with family and moving, and summer courses I'm taking at my university. I want to thank all of you who have been following the story and keeping up with Eden's journey. It really means so much to me that there are so many of you who enjoy this work! So, thank you all! And I will be returning soon. I'm trying to get ahead of the curve now instead of behind, so you guys don't have to wait in agony. I'll continue posting as soon as I can, and again, thank you all so much for leaving your comments and thoughts about my writing - it really means the world!


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